Isaiah_24-26
Isaiah 24-26 –
Judgment on the Whole Earth – Isaiah 24:1-23 (ESV)
24:1–27:13 These chapters are often treated as a separate section because they contain some ideas like those found in apocalyptic literature (especially a final victory of God over death, and over hostile powers in heaven as well as on earth; see on Daniel in this volume). For this reason they have been called Isaiah’s ‘mini-apocalypse’. However, it is better to see them as the conclusion to the OAN in chapters 13–23. In those sayings, the fall of Babylon (and Assyria) was a kind of symbol of the final victory of God in all the earth (e.g. 13:4–5, 11). Descriptions of changes in the sun and moon (24:23) were also in the earlier chapters (13:10). Vivid metaphors were used to describe earthly events. So the present section continues that thread. The central point is that God, in bringing judgement on the nation Babylon, shows that he is God over all heaven and earth. However, it is also clear that his victory in the historical situations known to the people of the time is only a hint of his intention to bring about deeper and more long-lasting peace and righteousness in the world.
Isaiah 24:1-23 (ESV)
1 Behold, the LORD will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor.
3 The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the LORD has spoken this word.
4 The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the highest people of the earth languish.
5 The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.
7 The wine mourns, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh.
8 The mirth of the tambourines is stilled, the noise of the jubilant has ceased, the mirth of the lyre is stilled.
9 No more do they drink wine with singing; strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
10 The wasted city is broken down; every house is shut up so that none can enter.
11 There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine; all joy has grown dark; the gladness of the earth is banished.
12 Desolation is left in the city; the gates are battered into ruins.
13 For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done.
14 They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the LORD they shout from the west.
15 Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD; in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One. But I say, “I waste away, I waste away. Woe is me! For the traitors have betrayed, with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.”
17 Terror and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
18 He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.
19 The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken.
20 The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again.
21 On that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth.
22 They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished.
23 Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders.
V.1 – earth (erets) could mean either the land of Israel or the whole world.
V.6 – The same Hebrew word for earth (erets) was used.
S776. אֶרֶץ ʾerets, eh´-rets; from an unused root prob. mean. to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land):—× common, country, earth, field, ground, land, × nations, way, + wilderness, world.
V.13-15 one finds that the saints are preserved through the Great Tribulation period.
V.16-23 – Universal and Unparalleled Suffering
V.16 – “I waste away. Woe is me. “ – “For the traitors (bgd)have betrayed,…”
Note that both words have the same sense and same Strong’s H898 – with H899 being “treachery”
- בָּגַד bâgad, baw-gad´; a prim. root; to cover (with a garment); fig. to act covertly; by impl. to pillage:—deal deceitfully (treacherously, unfaithfully), offend, transgress (-or), (depart), treacherous (dealer, -ly, man), unfaithful (-ly, man), × very.
- בֶּגֶד beged, behg´-ed; from 898; a covering i.e. clothing; also treachery or pillage:—apparel, cloth (-es, -ing), garment, lap, rag, raiment, robe, × very [treacherously], vesture, wardrobe.
V.17 – “fear” – “the Pit” – “snare” – These three dangers will be upon the inhabitants.
Fear – there is no freedom from fear here.
The Pit – is danger of death hanging over the world as the atom bomb.
Snare – is deception. Today the great deceiver goes about saying ‘peace and security’.
V.18 – Revelation speaks of a time when a fourth of the population will be taken out at one time in a great judgment and another time that one third of the population will die.
V.23 – 24 – Tribulation Saints Are Raised From the Dead
They shall go down into death but be raised from the dead.
The great tribulation will end with the coming of the King – Rev. 19:11-16.
Revelation 19:11-16 (ESV)
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.
13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.
14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.
15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Isaiah 25:1-12 (ESV) – Coming – the Kingdom
1 O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
2 For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the foreigners’ palace is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
4 For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,
5 like heat in a dry place. You subdue the noise of the foreigners; as heat by the shade of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is put down.
6 On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.
9 It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
10 For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain, and Moab shall be trampled down in his place, as straw is trampled down in a dunghill.
11 And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim, but the LORD will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill of his hands.
12 And the high fortifications of his walls he will bring down, lay low, and cast to the ground, to the dust.
V.1- A song of sheer delight, wonder, and worship. These singing are eager to worship God because of His faithfulness. Psalm 118:8 (ESV)
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
V.2- The past is gone and they are delivered from the enemies and thus no need for a wall. This is during the Millennium.
V.5 – the antichrist will be put down along with all the enemies of Christ.
V.6 – “…a feast of rich food” or “fat things” will have to do with physical provision. The redeemed earth will produce bountifully. All are happy and nothing can ever make them sad again.
God offers everyone a place at his eternal banquet table, and all peoples will be represented. There will be no disappointment as nothing in the human heart is not praised.
V.8 – is quoted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:54 (ESV)
54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
V.9 – “It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
The many will be lost to the antichrist, but the real Lord will come forth and they will be “glad and rejoice in his salvation”.
V.10 – Why Moab mentioned here? It could be to remind us of what the problem was with that nation. Moab represents a form of godliness but denies the power thereof. (proud hypocrites)
V.12 – The pride of man will be brought down and the meek shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5 (ESV)
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Isaiah 26 – the Kingdom:
Isaiah 26:1-21 (ESV)
1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.
2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.
5 For he has humbled the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city. He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust.
6 The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy.”
7 The path of the righteous is level; you make level the way of the righteous.
8 In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.
9 My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10 If favor is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see the majesty of the LORD.
11 O LORD, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.
12 O LORD, you will ordain peace for us, for you have indeed done for us all our works.
13 O LORD our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone we bring to remembrance.
14 They are dead, they will not live; they are shades, they will not arise; to that end you have visited them with destruction and wiped out all remembrance of them.
15 But you have increased the nation, O LORD, you have increased the nation; you are glorified; you have enlarged all the borders of the land.
16 O LORD, in distress they sought you; they poured out a whispered prayer when your discipline was upon them.
17 Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O LORD;
18 we were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.
19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.
20 Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by.
21 For behold, the LORD is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain.
V.1 & 9 – “…we have a strong city…” “With my soul have I desired thee in the night;”…(NKJV)
“My soul yearns for you in the night;” (ESV) – Same Hebrew Word and Strong’s H183 word.
- אָוָה ʾâvâh, aw-vaw´; a prim. root; to wish for:—covet, (greatly) desire, be desirous, long, lust (after).
Either word of “desire” or “yearn” was part of the definition for the Hebrew word H183.
Illustrating the great need to communion with Christ. Here Isaiah was expressing the same passion as Song 1:2, 4 was saying – Note quote by V. McGee:
“With my soul have I desired thee in the night.” I wonder if you and I recognize the great need for communion with Christ. In the little book of the Song of Solomon, the bride said, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth …” (Song 1:2). That was the kiss of pardon and of peace and of passion. Then the bride, recognizing that she can’t rise to the heights she desires, says, “Draw me, we will run after thee …” (Song 1:4). Isaiah is expressing the same thought here. “With my soul have I desired thee in the night.” My friend, do we have that passion for God? I hear a lot of pseudo–love today and a smattering of spirituality. I see people pretending to be pious and hear them quoting platitudes. I get tired of hearing, “Oh, I love the Lord, and I want to serve Him.” My friend, when you lie on your bed at night, do you have a desire for God? Do you really want Him? Do you have a real passion for Him? Are you able to say, “Draw me, and I will run after thee”?
In the time of the Millennium they will be saying, “With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early.”
I confess that many times I find myself running from Him. I find myself running ahead of Him, out of His will, and then the tensions come. I am frustrated, and I say, “Oh, I’ve left Him. I’ve gotten away from Him. I am not close to Him.” I don’t see many people crying out for God today. I don’t mean to be critical, but I don’t see much of it today, and when I do detect it, what a blessing it is to my own heart.
V.10 – 12 – 10 If favor is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see the majesty of the LORD.
11 O LORD, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.
12 O LORD, you will ordain peace for us, for you have indeed done for us all our works.
Ray Ortlund states this:
The center of this section is 26:10, 11, where Isaiah asserts the impenetrable blindness of the human heart. That is why, even at our best, we owe God everything: “You have done for us all our works” (cf. Ephesians 2:1–10). The Christian life is not what we give to God but what God gives to us. And what he gives is peace, wholeness, humanness at its authentic best forever. Moreover, it’s not because we happened to catch God in a good mood. He ordained peace for us. Full, beautiful salvation is the settled will of God for weak and stupid people who don’t mind being saved.
Is there anything in your life that you are really proud of precisely because it has nothing to do with you? The Bible says, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31). There is a kind of pride that actually humbles us and satisfies us because it’s not about us. The pride of the city of man inflates the ego, yet leaves the self empty. But the boast of the city of God is God himself, because he is enough to enrich us forever (Romans 5:2, 3, 11, nrsv). Everything good that we are and have is his doing, not ours. Our place in the city of God is his gift of grace. He even preserves us in the mentality of faith: “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you” (Isaiah 26:3). God stimulates in our hearts a longing for him: “My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you” (v. 9). Faith and longing prove that God is at work in our hearts. That yearning he is awakening in you is the most important thing about you. It’s the key to your future. Fan that flame, and never let it die.[1]
V.16 – 19 – In the Great Tribulation the nation Israel was like a woman in childbirth…. And they bring forth wind or no fruitful results.
McGee says: Today the suffering that comes to you, like a birth pang, will either bring forth something worthwhile, or it can just be wind. I am afraid many of us have suffered for nothing, simply because we do not see that all things work together for the glory of God. Remember that Isaiah is talking about the coming Millennium, and we could be living in a state similar to the Millennium if we would only seek Him early.[2]
[1] Ortlund, R. C., Jr., & Hughes, R. K. (2005). Isaiah: God saves sinners (p. 147). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
[2] McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Prophets (Isaiah 1-35) (electronic ed., Vol. 22, p. 183). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.